Defect tracking and management processes have long been used by many organizations to measure and determine the quality, reliability, and dependability of the software application. Based on the information and insights which are curated from defect tracking tools, the project managers and teams decide the treatment and allocation of reported bugs and issues.

A bug or a defect is a problem which is caused by the deviation of software behavior from the specifications or the design, or it can be termed as a discrepancy between the actual results and the expected results of the software application. The frequency and the severity of these bugs, and the stage at which they occur is primarily what determines their impact on the overall project. Hence, defect tracking tools are necessitated in the software development lifecycle in order to meet the regulatory compliance standards and deliver a defect free product to the users.

Uses of Defect Tracking System in Development Lifecycle

Defect tracking and monitoring comes in many shapes and sizes; from sticky notes and spread sheets to automated tools, there is a large range of tools that can be utilized depending on the requirements and scope of the project. The most effective usage is a matter of gauging the best tool in accordance with the nature and the type of the software product and the requirements of the development process.

In this day and age, with agile and DevOps methodologies as a norm in many organizations and continuous delivery as the adopted approach for quality assurance, automated defect tracking tools are more suited to address the quality assurance challenges. The advanced defect tracking system creates a platform for different teams to come together and work towards a common goal instead of working in silos. Multiple tools and sources for information and communication are integrated in one platform, to save time and to optimize the testing efforts of the team. It also empowers the team members and managers to meticulously monitor the progress of the defects, triage and organize them as per their priority and severity, and allocate them to the relevant team members.

By offering valuable metrics, defect tracking systems pave the path for traceability and analytics of defect trends for the teams. It ascertains that the project managers can follow through on the reported issues, and are able to tie the defects with the associated codes and test cases. The central repository with shared access by all relevant team members allows everyone to be on the same page regarding the issues and allows them to access information in real time.

The fundamental aim of defect tracking and management is to improve the quality assurance process and to add an extra layer of protection in order to reduce the defect escape rate. It changes and enhances the validation and documentation process which in turn increases the efficiency and productivity of project teams.